The Mystery
by Tin Man
Summary: This is mostly a Gohan/Videl fic. This is my first fic, so please review review review. I don't know what else to write in this thing, other than the fact that this story is fairly serious, so it is not the traditional ruin Gohan's life fanfic
1. Gohan's Big Mistake

Hey everyone, what's up? I am the Tin Man (it's a nickname chosen by some of my friends). I spent a while trying to decide whether to make this serious or humorous, and I decided to try to make it mostly serious, but how can I help but poke fun at poor, innocent Gohan? Just so you know, I will probably have trouble, seeing as this is my first fic, but I'm hoping that it works out. Just so everyone knows, this starts with the registration for the 25th World Martial Arts Tournament (If someone could give me the Japanese for that, I'd be happy. I know it's Tenkaichi Bsomething, but oh well). Everything is the same, except Goku is back from the dead, and Yamcha is a baseball player, but that is common, so I just decided to start with the registration, where my changes are. Just as a forewarning, I'm not a big fan of the Buu series, so I'm going to abbreviate it, though I'm still not completely sure how. Well, here it goes! Sorry this chapter is long, but I just wanted to get the whole qualifying stuff out of the way.  
  
A/N- Whenever I use -text- it is someone thinking to themselves  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: Now why would I be doing this if I owned DBZ?  
  
  
  
Chapter 1: Gohan's Big Mistake  
  
"I guess we have nothing to do but register," Goku said impatiently, "then we can go eat!"  
  
"Kakarot, is food all that you can think of?" Whined our not-so-friendly neighborhood prince of all Saiyans.  
  
Goku just flashed the grin that all of us know and love.  
  
"So why are you wearing that silly costume again Gohan?" asked an ever-so inquisitive Goten.  
  
"I don't want anyone at school to know it's me!"  
  
"How come?"  
  
"I just don't!"  
  
"Would all of you like to register for the tournament?" Asked the monk at the desk  
  
"Not all of us, just ten" stated Piccolo in his usual tone of voice, the one that makes it sound he really doesn't care about anything, and that if you are irritating you just might find yourself wanting the Namekian ability to regenerate limbs. As he said this, Bulma, ChiChi, the Ox King, Master Roshi, Chiaotzu, and Marron stepped off, leaving Goku, Gohan, Vegeta, Piccolo, Krillin, #18, Tien, Yamcha, Trunks, and Goten to sign up.  
  
Addressing Piccolo, the monk said "Sir, are you feeling all right? You appear to be green."  
  
"So what if I am?" Piccolo said as he gave his own version of the Vegeta Death GlareTM  
  
"Ah, never mind. Anyway, I see we have two entries for the junior division" This was clearly the second wrong thing he had said in a row, as the faces on the two little boys became quickly outraged.  
  
"WHAT?! JUNIOR DIVISION?! I WANNA FIGHT WITH THE GROWN-UPS!" Whined an offended Goten  
  
"NO FAIR! WE'RE STRONGER THAN MOST OF THE ADULTS, I WANT A CHALLENGE, NOT SOME BAKA KID THAT DOESN'T KNOW A THING ABOUT FIGHTING!" Screamed a thoroughly irritated (to put it softly) Trunks  
  
"I'm terribly sorry, but the rules were changed after too many children were injured in previous tournaments."  
  
"Big brother! Do you hear what they're saying! It's not fair!!"  
  
"I know Goten, but just think that this will make it easier for you to get prize money, they give out 5 million zeni for the winner of the junior tournament, and 2 million for the runner up. Just think of all the toys you can get with that!" stated the ever-rational Gohan.  
  
"So, what are your names?"  
  
"I'm Goten! This is my friend Trunks!"  
  
"Hey, I can speak for myself, you dummy!"  
  
"Oops, sorry Trunks!" chirped Goten with a grin identical to his father's  
  
"Okay, you two can go, so what are your names, or what would you like to be called?"  
  
"I'm Goku!"  
  
"Vegeta"  
  
"Piccolo"  
  
-lively duo, aren't they?- thought the monk  
  
"I'm Krillin, that's two l's."  
  
"Tien" got a strange look from the monk at his third eye, but remembering the situation with Piccolo, he decided to keep quiet. Then he noticed the next in line was an attractive, skinny woman who didn't exactly appear to be the fighting type, save the serious look on her face the never wavered. Even so, the monk said, through a lapse of judgment that he had with Tien, "I'm sorry Ma'am, this line is for registering participants only." He expected an apology, but the next thing he knew the woman threw a punch that landed millimeters in front of his face.  
  
"What did you say?"  
  
"I..I'm s-sorry. P-please d-don't hurt me!"  
  
"Just right me down as number 18"  
  
"Y-yes Ma'am!" Then, as he saw the second to last person, he almost fainted with shock. "Kami! It's Yamcha! Can I have your autograph?"  
  
"Sure." Said Yamcha while taking the pen and paper, "Just sign me up for the tournament!"  
  
"Of course!"  
  
Now the last person in this group, -hey, that guy looks familiar, oh well- thought the monk.  
  
"I'm Gohan" he said calmly  
  
To this, Vegeta simply smirked.  
  
They had all gone to meet up with the others, when suddenly.  
  
"OH NO!!!! What did I do?" shouted Gohan  
  
"What are you talking about" asked Goku  
  
"I just realized that I am registered as Gohan, not saiyaman!"  
  
At this, Vegeta burst out laughing that evil laugh of his, saying "I wondered how long you would take to realize that! I'm proud to say it would have taken Kakarot twice as long! Not that that is saying much!"  
  
"What did I do?"  
  
"Well look at the bright side Gohan," said Goten, "Now you don't have to worry about keeping your identity secret and not going super!"  
  
"I guess you're right. Oh well."  
  
"ATTENTION ALL REGISTERED PARTICIPANTS IN THE YOUTH DIVISION, THE JUNIOR TOURNAMENT IS ABOUT TO BEGIN, AND TO ALL ADULT PARTICIPANTS THE QUALIFYING ROUNDS ARE ABOUT TO BEGIN"  
  
"Well I guess that means we'll be splitting up now."  
  
"Good luck Goten and Trunks!"  
  
The huge area set aside for the qualifying round was packed with contestants. Most huge, but some you could tell had great experience and form. Strange enough to Gohan, he spotted a girl from his school OTHER than Videl. Her name was Carolyn. She was about 5'4" skinny build, and red hair, often in pig tails. She was fairly athletic, especially compared to most of the girls at Orange Star High, but nothing phenomenal, and Gohan could sense that her Ki wasn't very high either. He was wondering why on earth she would be at the tournament, when suddenly he felt someone strong for a human, but still nothing compared to the Z fighters punch him in the stomach. He didn't even flinch, which shocked Videl as she thought she punched fairly hard, but he did look away from Carolyn to see Videl standing there, with her pretty standard impatient look on her face.  
  
"What in Kami's name are you staring at Gohan? And why aren't you in your saiyaman suit?"  
  
"Oh, sorry. I was just wondering why Carolyn is here, and I kind of made the mistake of registering as Gohan"  
  
"Wow Gohan, I thought you were smart, anyways, who's here?"  
  
"Carolyn, from our school, she's over there, by herself."  
  
"Wow, that's weird, you'd think that she actually entered the tournament, but that can't be, she's way too small."  
  
"Look who's talking Videl"  
  
Videl shot him a death glare that would make Vegeta proud and said "Who cares anyway, it's not like she'd stand a chance against anyone here, much less my dad for the title!"  
  
Gohan sighed, he really wanted to tell Videl the truth about her father, but he couldn't find the heart. Maybe after the tournament when her dad is easily defeated by anyone of the Z fighters, or even Videl. As he thought this, the announcer came out with his megaphone to announce the qualifying round.  
  
"Our new method of qualifying is to use a punching machine to measure your strength, so will all registered fighters get in line, while the proper used is demonstrated by the reigning champion, Hercule!"  
  
At this, everyone started cheering, except for the Z fighters, two strangers, Videl, and one red-headed girl that nobody had noticed was in line.  
  
"Gohan, why aren't you and your friends cheering, you know, my dad is the one that saved the world from Cell."  
  
This earned a burst of laughter from Krillin that was quickly silenced by the flicker of gold that quickly came and left that appeared around Gohan.  
  
"We're ummm trying to... concentrate on our fight, yeah that's it!" Stuttered an obviously lying Gohan  
  
Videl knew he was lying, but decided not to proceed with the interrogation as her buffoon of a father was babbling about him and her being in the finals, and that of course he'd win, but he'd make it worth seeing. -Like I haven't heard any of this before.- After a painful speech, that was received by cheers and photographs galore, Hercule prepared to make the demonstration. He concentrated as much as he could, and punched with all his might, and got a score of 137. As he left the area, Hercule said "I sure could use a challenge, could someone please score over 100?"  
  
For a while, the punches were quite lame, but then came Videl. She walked up to the machine, and concentrated with all her might and punched with as much force as she could. She looked up, and nearly fainted along with the monks when she looked up at her score- she scored a 725! That was over 5 times higher than her dad's! Most everyone was shocked, save 8 fighters who were shaking their heads, 2 fighters with odd skin color, and one young redhead who just stood with her head down, as it had been for the whole day. Things became a bit more interesting when Gohan & co. went to use the machine.  
  
I really don't feel like writing down all the reactions and such, as it would take a lot of effort on my part and you know generally what happens, so here are the scores for the Z-fighters  
  
Goku- 324 Gohan- 312 Vegeta- 673 18- 267 Krillin- 289 Yamcha- 238 Piccolo- 334 Tien- 290  
  
Needless to say, none of them tried, so it amazed the poor monks even more. After this, 3 more fighters scored over 200. The final group of fighters was told they could rest or watch the remainder of the junior tournament.  
  
________________  
  
Sooooo, how do you like it? Please review, I really want to know how I am doing, I'm really sorry, but the next chapter is either going to be very soon or very long, as I'm going away on Tuesday, July 23rd to the following Monday. In the meantime review, constructive criticism welcomed, but also self-esteem boosts are good too. Thanks for reading!!! -The Tin Man 


	2. Junior Finals

Sorry this one took so long, I've been busy, and I also rediscovered the game Final Fantasy VII. That is a great game. I originally had one fairly long chapter, but then I really wanted to get something out for my 3 reviewers so they wouldn't lose interest, so I cut it up into 2 shorter chapters. The drawing should be out fairly soon, in the meantime read this, and review. This is my first fight scene, so I didn't really know what to do, so be constructively critical, and give suggestions.  
  
A/N- Whenever I use -text- it is someone thinking to themselves, and 'This is telepathic', okay?  
  
  
  
Disclaimer:: Now why would I be doing this if I owned DBZ?  
  
  
  
Chapter 2:: Junior finals  
  
"Good thing Goten and Trunks were in opposite sides of the draw, otherwise we would've missed the only real fight in the junior tournament." Gohan was obviously happy he got to see his brother fight in a tournament.  
  
"You mean they're that good? If they are as good as you say, then they might be almost as strong as I was when I won the junior division seven years ago!"  
  
"Err, Videl, I think that may not be quite true"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Just watch, and you'll see."  
  
"Wow! This is amazing! Both Goten and Trunks have made it to the finals without taking one punch! This is incredible! We can only imagine how intense this battle is going to be!" The announcer yelled this, and was met by an ecstatic crowd who couldn't wait to see these two little guys go at it. Little did they know, this fight would be much more amazing than any of them could imagine.  
  
"Finally, a worthwhile fight to watch!" said Krillin as he yawned. He had almost fallen asleep in all of the previous matches, especially since the junior division has no qualifying round, so there were over twice as many participants, and only Trunks and Goten managed to put on a show.  
  
-If Trunks doesn't manage to defeat that brat of Kakarot, he can expect some special one on one with me in the Gravity Room!- thought Vegeta  
  
"Hey Goten! You ready to lose now!" Yelled Trunks  
  
"No! I wanna buy my toys!!"  
  
"You know, you can still buy toys with the two million"  
  
Goten got the confused look on his face that seemed to run in his family, then all of a sudden, the announcer yelled "FIGHT!" and Trunks came rushing at him. In the time it took Videl to blink, Goten yelled "NO FAIR TRUNKS!" and turned super, rushing back at Trunks.  
  
"What just happened? One second Trunks was rushing at an unexpecting Goten, then next, Goten is rushing at him with golden hair! Gohan, WHAT IS GOING ON?!" asked a very confused Videl  
  
"Hold on, just watch this fight, it should be a good one" Gohan said, knowing very well that this would completely change Videl's view of a "good fight"  
  
Once Trunks saw Goten go super, he did as well, understanding the pathetic time limit of 30 minutes. The clashed together, in a match of flying fists and feet that amazed ALL of the spectators, including the Z fighters, one pink man and a purple man, and even the usually uninterested redhead. The battle appeared to be a stalemate, then, to the astonishment of the crowd, the two boys started hovering up very slowly. "I thought that flying thing was a trick, that looks plenty real to me!" noted one baffled spectator. Realizing his current tactics weren't working, Trunks pulled away and fired a ki blast right at Goten, who just smiled and fired one of his own to meet it. They met with a bright light, causing the spectators to look away. When some of the light subsided, the blasts from Goten and Trunks were equal distances apart. Both young fighters flared up their kis even higher, but neither gained any ground. Meanwhile, all of the Z fighters were incredible impressed at the strength the boys had. Goten was finally starting to gain the upper hand when the announcer yelled "This has been a truly great battle, but unfortunately, if it does not end within 5 minutes, the winner will be determined by the judges, and at this rate, that will be one difficult decision!"  
  
"Oh great, this lousy time limit is preventing us from having a good fight!" moaned Trunks  
  
"I guess this means we should have one last go at it, huh Trunks?"  
  
At this, they both jumped to opposite sides of the ring. Goku looked very excited, but somewhat concerned for his son, as he realized what Trunks and Goten were doing, knowing that if Trunks was anything like Vegeta, he would show no mercy if he started to gain the upper hand. -At least Goten did show he had something left with that last charge he did- thought Goku.  
  
-I can't let my daddy down! He looks really worried, so I'll just have to beat Trunks to show my daddy that I'm really strong too!-  
  
-Oh great, Goten is getting hyped up. My dad is going to KILL me if I don't beat him, but I just don't have anything left in me. Oh well, here goes.-  
  
With all of his speed, Trunks charged at a waiting Goten, who managed to barely keep a step ahead of the desperate Trunks, who was now just being careless.  
  
"What does that brat think he is doing out there?! He is being an embarrassment to himself, our family, and the whole Saiy-" At this, Gohan planted his hand over Vegeta's mouth, in order to not alert Videl to the existence of Saiyans. Of course, Vegeta was not at all happy with this, and jumped away, screaming "GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF ME YOU WORTHLESS BAKA!"  
  
While this was going on, Goten decided to capitalize on Trunks' desperation, and kneed him in the gut when there was an opening. Trunks doubled over, and Goten continued his attack, all the while thinking -For daddy! For daddy!- Once Trunks got near the edge of the ring, he jumped out of the way of the furiously attacking Goten, who fell right off the ring. "HA Kakarot, your brat lost to a simple trick like that! That is pathetic!" taunted Vegeta, as he waited for the announcement.  
  
Videl looked upset "Poor Goten, he almost won, too. There's always next time."  
  
Gohan just smiled. "What are you smiling about, boy? Your precious little brother just lost!" "Oh did he?" Vegeta did not look happy at this comment, saying "just listen boy!"  
  
The announcer started to run over to the other side of the ring where Goten fell, claiming "Trunks is the junior world champ.i.o.." His sentence drifted off, when he saw the sight before him. There was Goten, hovering millimeters off the ground, waiting impatiently. "I did not lose! I was waiting for you to come so I could show you where I stopped myself!"  
  
*A/N Did anyone think that Goten lost right there?  
  
"Oh my! My mistake folks! It appears that Goten is still in this, using some sort of martial arts trick to stay off the grass!" at this, the crowd started cheering madly, the fight of the century would continue!  
  
"It's not a trick, it's flying!" pouted Goten "Can we get back to our fight now?"  
  
"Oh, of course! But you only have 1 minute left!"  
  
"HA!, even if your brat stayed in this time, there's no way he can finish this in one minute!" gloated Vegeta in his usually overconfident manner.  
  
"Trunks, that was mean!"  
  
"It's not MY fault you're such a dummy, let's fight!"  
  
This insult was it. Goten was sick of Trunks and his daddy insult his family. Goten pushed his ki up ridiculously high for anyone, let alone a little boy, even a little demi-saiyan. He charged at a bewildered Trunks, attacking with relentless speed and precision, driving Trunks to the side of the ring. Trunks tried to run, but there would be no quick escapes this time, as Goten grabbed his leg with faster than eye speeds, and threw Trunks out of the ring. Trunks crashed into the wall, making a hole about ten feet deep. Horrified gasps came from the audience, as the announcer gravely said, "This was an incredible fight down to the end, but Goten must be disqualified for excessive force, and perhaps killing Trunks, after we pull him out of the rubble." As if on cue, Trunks crawled out of the hole, mumbling "I'm fine, I'm fine" The shocked announcer shouted, "It seems that Trunks is okay, so GOTEN IS THE NEW JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPION!" This was received by shouts and cheers, and a certain reaction from two off-colored strangers known as Shin and Kabito.  
  
'If the children are capable of that much, we can only assume how much stronger the adults are!'  
  
'I don't know Supreme Kai, I doubt we will find anyone capable of handling the likes of Majin Buu at this tournament, after all.'  
  
'You might be surprised Kabito, don't underestimate them, especially the Saiyans.'  
  
The Z-Fighters all congratulated Goten on his well-earned victory, especially Videl, who just couldn't believe what she saw. Vegeta, on the other hand, was giving Trunks and earful. "HOW COULD YOU LOSE TO THE CLOWN'S YOUNGEST BRAT?!" Vegeta was mad, to put it lightly. "YOU WERE MILLIMETERS AWAY FROM WINNING, BUT YOU PUT YOUR GUARD DOWN AND ASSUMED HE HAD FALLEN!"  
  
"Umm Vegeta?" Gohan interjected.  
  
"What do you want?" was his reply trying to sound as menacing as possible.  
  
"Weren't you gloating that Trunks had won when Goten fell?"  
  
"Shut up brat!"  
  
"Oh well"  
  
Once Gohan left Vegeta, Videl took this opportunity to once again drill Gohan about his family and friends. "GOHAN! How on earth did Trunks survive that? Never mind all that other stuff?"  
  
"Umm..err...I think..I'll tell you.umm.after the tournament!" -That should be good, then she will have already seen plenty of things out of the ordinary for it not to be THAT hard to believe, including her father getting the beating he deserves.-  
  
"You'd better, or you'll be in BIG TROUBLE Gohan"  
  
"I know! I know!" he yelled defensively  
  
"ATTENTION ALL QUALIFIED PARTICIPANTS, THE DRAWING WILL OCCUR IN THE SAME AREA AS THE QUALIFYING ROUND IN 15 MINUTES!"  
  
_______________________  
  
Oooh, Trunks lost! I'm sorry for all you Trunks fans, but Goten is just too cute! I had to have him win! And I mean, doing it to make his daddy proud of him, how could I not have him win? A second reason is that I wanted to give Vegeta's pride a punch in the gut. Oh well, review and all that stuff, and the next chapter should be out soon.  
  
Next Chapter:: The drawing occurs, now the tournament is set up! Where will our heroes be, and most importantly, who gets the chance to beat the crap out of Hercule??? 


	3. The Drawing

I told you this chapter wouldn't take long to be out. I'm sorry if it's boring, but it was necessary. I tried to make up for the boring with just a tad about the mystery character, Carolyn, but I want to take it slow with her, don't want to ruin the surprise! (not that I'm even 100% sure what it is yet, but that's beside the point). I have most of the tournament mapped out already, so now it is just a matter of writing out the fights, and also plot developments in between. I'll leave you to the story now.  
  
A/N- Whenever I use -text- it is someone thinking to themselves, 'and this is telepathic', okay?  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: Now why would I be doing this if I owned DBZ?  
  
  
  
Chapter 3: The Drawing  
  
"ATTENTION ALL QUALIFIED PARTICIPANTS, THE DRAWING WILL OCCUR IN THE SAME AREA AS THE QUALIFYING ROUND IN 15 MINUTES!"  
  
"I guess that means we should be going, huh?" stated Goku.  
  
*15 minutes later, at the drawing*  
  
Everyone seemed to be with their own, the largest group being the Z- fighters and Videl. They were the closest to the announcer. Kabito and Shin were not too far away. Vegeta was suspicious, as they appeared to be communicating, but neither one was speaking. "I still don't trust them!" was all he had to say. Two muscle-bound men, and one attractive young man were in a corner, and they seemed to be talking about some previous fights, and were comparing strength. Videl looked around, but there didn't seem to be enough people.  
  
"Gohan! Look! What in Kami's name is Carolyn doing here? She couldn't have qualified! She must be writing for the school newspaper, but I know she doesn't work on that. But only qualified fighters and a few reporters are allowed here anyway! And without her it is only 14 people, not including my father who's bound to make some big entrance like he always does. I am so confused!" ranted a baffled Videl.  
  
"I agree, we have to look into this, I guess it is somewhat possible that she qualified, I mean, looks can be very deceiving in fighting, but still." Of course Videl couldn't tell, but Gohan was perplexed by the fact that Carolyn's ki was only slightly higher than the average female teenager. -Weird- he thought.  
  
"Okay, it's time for the drawing, and to start it all off, is the defending champion, Hercule!"  
  
"I'm here! Gwa ha ha!" The giant buffoon yelled.  
  
Only the three men in the corner seemed impressed, the others appeared to not care less.  
  
Hercule got a stupid, confused look on his face and said "I guess everybody is just concentrating on their fights! Either that, they're struck with fear! Yea, that's it! Oh well, here I go!" Hercule got a look of concentration, and pulled out a ball. "HA! Number one! That seems to fit quite well!"  
  
"Right, okay, now let's start everyone else!" said the announcer quite enthusiastically. "Now, first up is. Vegeta! Will Vegeta please come up and pick a number?"  
  
"Hold on, I'm coming! Let's see, a 14, okay."  
  
"Let's see, next up is Carolyn!"  
  
"What the? That skinny female is fighting? I mean, feel her ki! Either she is weak, or she is very good at disguising ki" said Vegeta.  
  
Carolyn just walked up, pulled out a number 7, and showed it to the announcer. "I guess I'm in the first half, huh?"  
  
"Okay, next up is Videl! Okay, you're number 8, making the first pair up of Carolyn vs. Videl!"  
  
Carolyn looked very disinterested, while Videl looked happy, "Good, I won't have to fight my father until the semi-finals. Now let's see where the rest of Gohan and his friends end up."  
  
"Okay, it's time for Killa to pick his number!"  
  
"I'mgunnapickagoodnumberyeakillais" Killa said (or mumbled) as he pulled out a 4.  
  
"I'm not quite sure what you just said, but you're a 4! Next up is Shin!"  
  
"Here you go, I am number 12"  
  
"Thank you, and Kabito is up next!"  
  
"I'm 13"  
  
"This is getting along great! You are paired against Vegeta in round 1!" The announcer was starting to get excited, seeing that this would be an unforgettable tournament.  
  
'Good, this way I can test one of the stronger ones.'  
  
'I'm still not sure you will force him to use his full strength Kabito, but we will see something with who is going to be against me'  
  
"Next up, Krillin!"  
  
"I got number 5. that still makes it possible that I might have to fight Gohan or Goku in the first round, I'll just have to hope that I get lucky."  
  
"Okay, Gohan can come up now! Okay, you're number 10!" At this Krillin breathed a sigh of relief, but then realized Goku still hadn't drawn.  
  
"Goku, you can come up now! You're an old pro at all this by now, let's see if you can have two titles won! Okay, you're number 11, that puts you against Shin in the first round."  
  
Goku glanced over at the purple stranger, who seemed to be sizing him up or something, but it wasn't the way he was used to, when enemies bent on destroying him were sizing him up, instead, Shin seemed to almost be impressed with his power, but also not the least bit intimidated, but also not cocky or threatening. Of course Vegeta noticed this, and made the comment "Hey purple boy, quit staring at Kakarot, you don't have to worry about being stronger than him, because there is no chance." Almost instantly, Vegeta realized this was almost a display of faith in Goku, so he backed it up with "I mean, how am I supposed to finally defeat Kakarot if he loses to some weakling in the first round?" During this commentary, Tien was called up and pulled a 16.  
  
"Okay Jewel, let's see who you are up against! .Oh my goodness what a surprise, it seems the very first match of the tournament is a rematch of last tournament's finals! Jewel has drawn a 2, and will be facing Hercule!" -Wow! This is going to be great for the ratings!-  
  
"Yamcha! Your turn!" When Yamcha looked at his number, he nearly collapsed. He couldn't believe his bad luck. -I know I wasn't going to get far in this tournament, but this is ridiculous! I might as well face the music- he thought to himself as he showed the announcer the 9.  
  
"That puts you against Gohan! Okay, Mighty Mask is up next!"  
  
"HAHA that match should prove to be very amusing, I only hope the boy doesn't hurt you too much, weakling human!" as Vegeta said this, Yamcha turned to Gohan with a worried look. Gohan just smiled at him and said, "Don't worry, I'll go easy on you, besides, we don't want to disappoint the crowds, now do we?" Yamcha looked relieved that he at least wouldn't be too humiliated.  
  
"That puts Mighty Mask against Tien in the final fight of the first round! I'm not sure if I have this name right, but next up to draw is Eighteen!"  
  
"You got that name right, do you have a problem with my name?" asked a very serious and threatening 18.  
  
"N-No, not at all, you can just pick your number now" 18 just picked up one of the two remaining balls and tossed it to the announcer. "That's a 3, putting 18 against Killa! Last, but not least, Piccolo! I think it's safe to assume that that is a 6, putting you against Krillin in the third fight of the first round. Okay, the final lineup is:  
  
1. Hercule vs. Jewel 2. 18 vs. Killa 3. Krillin vs. Piccolo 4. Carolyn vs. Videl 5. Yamcha vs. Gohan 6. Goku vs. Shin 7. Kabito vs. Vegeta 8. Mighty Mask vs. Tien  
  
"Well, it looks like we got the good half of the draw, Piccolo! No one on our side has to face the Saiyans until the finals!" exclaimed Krillin, but Piccolo countered this with the simple statement, "but you still have to go against me, and if you win that, you have to fight your wife eventually, and I think you know who will win that one." Krillin was upset at this, but let it go, still happy that even if a miracle occurred and he beat Piccolo, he would still eventually face his wife in the semifinals, which meant he wouldn't have to worry about facing any of the Saiyans in the finals and getting completely embarrassed.  
  
Meanwhile, Videl and Gohan were talking about their upcoming fights.  
  
"I didn't know that the Great Yamcha could fight! Is he any good?"  
  
"I'd say so, he is very good compared to a normal person, but within our group he is actually the weakest, especially since he has given up fighting for baseball."  
  
"You mean you're stronger than him?"  
  
"Yes, I am, and both of us know that, but it will still be a good fight."  
  
"So, where do you stand ability wise in your little circle of friends?"  
  
"Well we're going to find out today, now aren't we? I am in the tougher half of the tournament-"  
  
"What are you talking about?? The half I'm in has not only my father and 3 other veterans of the tournament, but it also has me, who got a 700 on the punching machine!"  
  
"And the side I'm in has my father, a three time finalist and one-time winner of the tournament, and Vegeta, his almost equal opponent for over 10 years. But as I was saying, I am in the tougher half of the tournament, so I might not get as far as I would want, but we'll see won't we?"  
  
*A/N I know this might sound a little OOC from Gohan, with the saying he has it harder, but he really does, and I don't think his Saiyan side would let him even lie about the half with no Saiyans to be tougher  
  
"We sure will. So what do you think about Carolyn? Do you have any idea how she could have qualified? I mean, I know she won't be any match for me, but I don't know how she managed to out-punch some of those guys there!"  
  
"I don't know either, it's all very confusing, but I think by the end of the tournament, we might know something about her, and for now we at least know that she exists, and we can see in the tournament whether this is something big, or just a girl that can punch hard."  
  
"What do you mean, 'something big'?"  
  
"That's one of those things that I'll explain after the tournament, okay?"  
  
"Fine, but you had better tell me at the end of all this! I'm starting to get very impatient!"  
  
"Don't worry, I will."  
  
-Why can't Videl and Gohan finally recognize their feelings for each other? I mean, at school they've been close friends, and now they are even closer than always. I don't know how this tournament will go, but I know it is the best way to reveal to Gohan's group of friends that I am here, though I'm still not sure it is the wisest thing to do. Oh well, my sensei's orders were very clear, and I must obey my sensei's wishes. I can still remember the words- 'Carolyn, you must not tell anyone about yourself, instead let them find out on their own. This may lead to mistrust, but believe me, it is for the best.'-  
  
  
  
__________________________  
  
Finally something, even if something very little, is discovered about Carolyn. Who could her sensei be? Who could the mysterious Shin and Kabito be? (As if you don't know), and who is going to win in the first round of fighting in the 25th World Martial Arts Tournament?  
  
Next Chapter: The first round begins, and we may find out answers to some questions, but even I'm not sure if there will be more next chapter, I want to take my new character slowly, learning from BoomBubble in the story Some Dreams Come True (By far the best fic I have ever read), anyway, I'll be back! 


End file.
